An Alva man is accused of providing a cellphone to a vulnerable adult and attempting to convince the woman to provide sexual favors.

Bennie Leo Benson, 54, of Alva has been charged with two felonies: (1) abuse or exploitation of a vulnerable adult and (2) violation of Oklahoma statute via computer. Count 1 is punishable by imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for not more than two years and a fine of not more than $10,000. Count 2 is punishable by imprisonment for not more than five years or by a fine of not more than $5,000, or by both such imprisonment and fine.

Court papers show the woman’s brother-in-law contacted the Woods County Sheriff’s Office on April 3 and provided an LG H00 smart phone which had been in the 25-year-old woman’s possession. The man said his sister-in-law had been living at his residence in Alva the past couple of months, and he learned on April 1 about the phone which had been provided to her by Benson.

The man said he reviewed the contents of the phone and observed sexually explicit conversations between his sister-in-law and Benson. He determined the phone had been set up with remote tracking and the ability to live monitor activity on the phone. He said he attempted to turn off the GPS tracking, but it was remotely turned on again. He said he assumed the woman’s identity to exchange texts with Benson who communicated he wanted the phone back and was upset the woman was not providing sexual activity in return for it.

On April 12, Undersheriff Keith Dale transferred custody of the phone to District Attorney’s Investigator Steve Tanio who conducted a forensic download and provided the download to Dale. Undersheriff Dale reviewed the phone download and observed numerous text communications from Benson to the woman.

On April 17, Dale and Tanio met with the woman, her mother and her brother-in-law. The mother said she adopted her daughter when she was age two. She had been diagnosed with a low IQ and was functioning at an eight to 13 year old level. The mother is the woman’s legal guardian and said she is a vulnerable individual who could be easily manipulated. She said when she learned what had happened, she picked up her daughter and took her back to Ponca City.

The victim said she met Kelly Benson in late March when she was walking by the residence, and Kelly introduced her to Bennie Benson. She said when first meeting Bennie, he said he would provide her with a better cellphone than the one she had. She said at the time he reached out to grab her upper leg causing her to feel uneasy and weird so she moved away. She said Benson told her he would give her the phone and pay for it for free, if she would allow him to engage in sexual activity with her. She said she initially agreed to the arrangement, but once she obtained the phone she refused Benson’s requests for sexual activity.

Tanio obtained a search warrant for Benson’s residence on April 17. Those searching included Tanio, Dale, OSBI Special Agent Chris Ray, and Alva Police Officers Jade Cooper and Timothy Clapp. Benson invoked his rights to an attorney and did not want to cooperate. Seized from the residence were a Samsung smart phone and other electronic storage devices including an LG tablet.

On April 18 Tanio reviewed the digital content of the seized items and found text messaging between Benson and the victim between March 28 and April 1. He noted communication he described as “grooming techniques” including compliments to the woman on her appearance. Those texts were followed by others asking for sexual activity.

Benson’s bond was set at $15,000, and his next appearance in court is set for May 9.